Robot jellyfish extracts hyrdogen fuel from water as it swims

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Depicted in the video above is Robojelly–an underwater robot created by a research team at the University of Texas that is going to be used in rescue efforts as well as surveillance.

In yet another case of science borrowing from nature, the team decided to create their robot in the form of a jellyfish since it has one of the most efficient swimming and propulsion systems in the world’s oceans. While this project has been underway for sometime, there has recently been a breakthrough in the area of how it powers itself while in the water. Using platinum coated carbon nanotubes, Robojelly generates its fuel from the abundance of hydrogen molecules in the water that surrounds the robot.

The extraction of the hydrogen fuel from the water is accomplished by the natural motion of the robot’s artificial muscles as it swims. Just like a real jellyfish, Robojelly draws water into its body area, then expels it to create propulsion. As the robot draws water in, the aforementioned nanotubes create an exothermic reaction as the mixture of hydrogen and oxygen in the water passes over and through them. The heat generated by this reaction is then converted into usable energy, theoretically allowing it to run indefinitely since it can create its own fuel. Of course, there are several real-world dynamics that would hinder that process, but it’s an interesting concept nonetheless.

There’s no word on when the robot will be ready for real-world use, but the project serves as an excellent stepping stone when it comes to renewable energy production and robot’s that can run for very long periods of time without interaction.